Italians do it better. Hotel Capo La Gala

I’m often really surprised how hard it can be finding a modern hotel with a degree of character, and I’ve had it with flimsy ‘design hotels’ that are usually pretty flat in terms of experience. So benvenutoCapo La Gala. It’s all about the mare here, and rather than perched high upon the cliffs like so many Sorrento and Amalfi coastal establishments, this tumbles down the cliffs until you’re eye level with the horizon – in a hook in the Gulf of Naples, overlooking volcanic Ischia.

Continued after the pics…

The original hotel was designed at the end of the ‘50s by Architect Savarese, and apparently the hotel was “a privileged destination of dandies, artists and curious travellers”. And it probably still is, albeit slightly more successful artists, wealthy dandies and solvent travellers. Enzo and Marité Acampora took over the ‘stone ship’ in 2006.

As a chevron fanatic I was predisposed to love the ultra graphic-luxe design of the contemporary hotel. It was softened by some great art by the owner’s niece who has galavanised me to dig the graphite out and get busy with some drawing (there’s a fine mission to find a whole octopus in Berlin this weekend). The best art – the simply spiked aphotic anemone adorns the spa, which is a confident shift from the blu-bianco hues of the rest of the hotel. This temple to H20 is darker, greener and a perfectly moody foil to the optimistic and fresh dolce vita ambiance of the rest of the hotel.

The bar is manned by Michele who is charm personified and exceptionally good. He has a way to wean you off your usual poison and onto something that you’d never normally consider. And a good thing too.

Maxi is serious dining. All the classics from land and sea, with a few leftfield options. And if you can’t do pasta again, non-local but brilliant German chef Oliver Glowig might present you with the most exquisite floral salad you’ve ever seen and tasted in your life. And if that pasta is still bugging you, then you’ll find a seriously covetable gym. It might not be the biggest but just check that view, it’ll ruin your for life and you’ll never be able to set foot in a Virgin basement gym again.

The wine? Exploit the sommelier, go local and experiment. Marisa Cuomo’s mineral reds, Crucimonaci…if you’re into wine, get stuck in. They even do tastings in the cellar (+formaggio!) if you ask nicely.

Capo La Gala is a perfectly contemporary hotel orientated around an unbeatable, uninterrupted view with service as warm and obliging as you could hope for.